Mass Effect: Shadow of the Cabal
by Rabblerouser88
Summary: Disgraced and shunned from his home, Kamal sets out to distant worlds within the multiverse to find something of worth to present to his superiors...but what he instead finds is the ever-dangerous forces of Chaos and a dangerous covenant they have sealed with the mysterious Reapers. Now it falls to him and his new mortal allies to thwart whatever plans they hold...


**AN:** This contains something unfamiliar to many of you, my original concept of Avatars, multiversal protectors who span many hundreds of worlds. This presents two options for you, with one being that you wait for an explanation contrary to this story or you can read Chapter 50 of my OP: A New Storm fic to find (somewhat) full disclosure on Avatars. This also contains somewhat fantastical elements in a sci-fi setting, so if you don't like it, you don't have to read. Do Enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Unfamiliar Territory**

_We dreamt that we dared to hold the title of masters of this world…technology beyond anything we have ever seen…this universe held so much potential for our warring against the Protectorate and the forces of Chaos…We had entire planets and systems under our control, none could oppose us…but we never imagined an enemy like this…_

_This force is too powerful…Guardians know that we cannot stop it…we can only hope we can prevent their spreading…Pray that they lack the capabilities of the demons that hunt us…_

_We will run. We will cover our tracks. Leave the aliens to burn. We will save countless lives for the cost of this sole dimension. We will seal it away, shatter its heart so that none can follow us nor allow our kin to be born to the primitives that remain. We've hurried the natives into small underground sites so that hopefully the enemy will not recognize them as threats…it is the smallest mercy we could provide before we vanish. _

_I look up at the sky now; the veins of the world now grow dim as the Nexuses seal and shut. Our advancements brought about from this realm hidden away or outright destroyed to fuel our paranoia that the enemy will somehow use them to track us. I now write this as a warning to the Champions that follow…to all Avatars both Cabal and Sentinel…and hope my message will stay through the ages that come…_

_This realm is death….this realm holds perils unimaginable by mortals. Leave it sealed so that they cannot endanger the multiverse as a whole…For if they manage to find a way…Master help us all…_

_For we cannot fight the Reapers._

_-Unknown Cabalist in regards to an unknown realm the multiverse._

New York City, circa 2183…its towering skyscrapers and mammoth buildings touched the heavens and even though hordes of pedestrians crowded through the streets while legions of traffic soared both the street and the skyline above…it was tranquil in a way.

In a small section of this urban serenity was interrupted however, by a young man as he darted here and there through the masses, slipping or shoving his way through civilians. His face was hidden by the hood of a black light jacket, its zipper jangled to the movement of his feet from its position at halfway up his chest, exposing another layer of clothing; only colored a deep blue nearly as dark as the outer layer's black.

He looked behind him after vaulting between a pair of obese women, and marked his pursuer with a short glance before returning his attention to the task of escaping whoever came after him. He knew it was a woman not much older than he was, the prime of life and bearing a white body suit accentuated with black sleeves and leggings, her equally dark hair fluttering in the breeze she created as she weaved through the throng of people that stood between her and her mark.

Gritting his teeth, he swept behind a man and used this temporary cover to slip hopefully unnoticed into a dank alleyway, his footsteps flinging muddied puddle water as he pressed for speed.

"Bravo Team, I've herded him into the alley of Fordes and Trantad, take him." The unknown hunter put a finger to her ear, radioing her fellows.

The hunted now faced a duo of body-builders it seemed, sprung out from in front of him at the end of the alley, bearing twin assault rifles. He didn't slow for a second, meeting his new attackers with a frenzied charge. As he came closer to the overconfident bruisers, he lifted both arms with fingers curled as though he meant to strangle someone from afar. A whispered proclamation was unheard by anyone other than the talker, and a strange surge of power emerged from underneath him, two obsidian tendrils with gnarled hands shot forth at the man-sized mountains, slithering on the ground like snakes before lunging for their throats.

The two didn't have time to gasp for air as what followed was a sickening crunch that made both go limp in the shadowy veins before being ruthlessly tossed aside as their killer dashed past without a wayward glance, never having dimmed his speed for a second.

The chaser soon came upon her failed trap not a moment later, sprinting past them in manner similar to the forerunner. The only reaction was her finger lifting to her ear once again, "Bravo Team is down…subject is moving southbound on Halloway."

The chase continued for another several minutes, both predator and prey began to get fatigued from the ceaseless running, and they were nearing the fringes of the city.

"Bah…No Nexuses anywhere…" The leading man looked to sky form some sign of escape, only the hum of the airline traffic answered, causing a disgruntled snort in contempt at his surroundings…until something caught his eye around the bend.

It was a fenced off area with a dozen or so buildings around a cluster of landing zones, several small shuttle-craft lifting off and landing at once, and by the armed guards at its front, it had to be military.

"_Perfect._" He mused to himself as he mustered last tidbits of inner strength, and he became as dark as night itself before dissolving into an ebon puddle. It oozed and streaked across the ground much like the phantom limbs he had summoned before, only this time it was for infiltration instead of combat as he slithered into one of the guard's shadows…melding perfectly for a time before gliding groundside into the landing zone, out of reach of the female hunter.

With a look of dissatisfaction, she once again took to her hidden radio, "Sir, he's escaped into an Alliance Transport Hub, recommendation?...Yessir…" Her last words where one with laced frustration, as her target slinked away like a demented oil spill.

Inching his way through the small base, the shadow lingerer took a few sorted glances around before returning to his humanoid form in the shade of what looked to be a small barracks.

"_Hrmm…The ma'taan of this world seem awfully advanced…A weapon from here would certainly impress them..._" He rested his chin upon a clenched hand as he contemplated the situation, "_But…whoever that bitch was…she knew I was an Avatar…and those thugs…the best option is to return to the Rune and leave this accursed place._" He took a moment to look around, seeing the ever-flowing exchange of shuttle drop off passengers before carrying new ones of to some unknown destination. "_Although if they're as organized as I think they are, they've probably set an ambush there...So an expeditious withdrawal in is order…_"

Slipping out of the shade, the hooded man resumed creeping along the ground, listening in on any conversation he could eavesdrop on and get some information…he caught a few words that were present in every few talkings…but none made sense. _Asari…Eezo…Turian…_ he began to grow agitated as his fatigue rose, the form he took wearing on his energy…it wasn't for what seemed like an eternity before he picked up something useful. A grunt was practicing talking to someone by his lonesome in one of the barracks…and his odd behavior let slip that he would be riding with a hero of his on the way to something called Arcturus…

"_Arcturus…It's a safe as bet as anywhere else I suppose…_" He wondered, slipping in through the door's slit and assuming human form once inside. His footsteps made no sound as he crept like a bandit towards the awkward soldier, a perfect predator before his prey. The soldier didn't even notice his presence…even when the infiltrator struck him hard enough to knock him cross-eyed, unconscious in but a millisecond.

In a few minutes, the shadow operative looked to be the soldier's twin, minus the addition of a stifling helmet that showed only the eyes through a slitted visor. The dull grey armor with various markings the same of which was plastered all over the base was also tattooed on the chest and right shoulder in a bland white. He had also found an interesting toy upon his victim, an orange luminescent gauntlet that sprung to life as he slipped on the appropriate armored piece, covering his left forearm in an ethereal sleeve. With but a wave of his arm, it disappeared, and another flicked it back to life.

"Dusk." One word whispered summoned a voice from nowhere.

"**Yes, master**?" The voice was entirely synthetic and thus spoke only of the young Marine's attacker.

"Scan this tech fully; I want a full rundown of its capabilities ASAP." The shadow spoke in a hushed tone, peering through windows for any signs of awareness of his presence.

"**Scans running…approximate time of complete logistics and integration currently estimated at 2 hours, 12 minutes.**" With that, the voice spoke no more, and the strange glowing piece that encircled his arm became tinged with a green-white glow before the entirety was dismissed by its wielder. Slightly agitated, he disregarded it for now and focused on the task at hand as he scrounged about for some form of ID his quarry carried…Finding none, he looked to his task another way.

"Dusk, disregard scans and search for any forms of ID upon this device's memory." The gauntlet flashed to life once again, displaying a small monitor-like hologram that portrayed not only the man's name, but also his credentials. "Thank you, Dusk, resume integration to my suit." He then peered onto the screen, the exact same face of the unconscious young man who was now stuffed in a locker staring back at him. "Private Theron Russells…why do human names all sound so droll?" He chuckled darkly, waving the tool off once again and setting off for whichever shuttle would get him out of this damn city and away from the insane woman and her cronies.

It took him a few minutes but he finally found the shuttle departing for Arcturus, and with a flash of his badge he was ferried onboard, taking a seat next to man most likely several years his senior…the shuttle was mostly empty save for them and a handful of marines.

"_Aah this is too easy…these ma'taan have no semblance of security…_" He thought, remembering a dozen or so times he had more difficult times breaking and entering. He was brought out of nostalgia when the shuttle lurched forward in a massive gain of speed, and a quick glance out of the window revealed that they had broken the stratosphere and were on the verges of space.

Were it not for the sheer surprise of it all, he would have puked inside his helmet. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he frantically fought to keep his cool.

"_Cassios! We're not even on the planet anymore! Guardians preserve me…_" He must've given unconscious physical clues about his fear or the man next to him was some form of psychic as the false soldier felt a large hand clap his shoulder and nearly leapt out of his seat.

"First time flying, soldier?" The gruff voice of the man cut though the tension, directed at the enigmatic double agent.

"Uh, yes-sir, well no, sir just uh….leaving the planet…sir" He replied in his best military accent, his answer caused a bemused smile from his neighbor. He was now able to get a good look at the somewhat grizzled conversationalist, he had a militaristic buzz-cut of black hair, a similar-colored layer of a stubby beard that bordered on five-o'clock shadow. Blue eyes seemed to stare right through him, sizing him up and deciding his worth. This man was most likely in his late twenties, but carried an almost palpable aura of experience in the field of battle.

"Ease up, the ride will go smooth from here to the _Montreal_, and that will be a lot easier to Arcturus." He said in genuine concern for the younger man, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his laurels as he continued, "So what's your name, soldier?"

"Private Theron Russells, sir." His mask of personality came back into place instantaneously, a reflex maneuver crafted out of experience.

"Commander John Shepard." He extended a hand, which the saboteur took and shook in mock greeting. A sudden lurch shook the ship somewhat, causing the disguised soldier to stir in surprise and yet the commander didn't flinch in the slightest. Only an outward sigh signified that he registered the abrupt shift as he unhooked himself and stood up. "Guess we're here." He hefted himself upward as the door of the small spacecraft slid open, allowing his veiled friend a view of a spectacular hangar, various crafts of different makes; some were similar transports as the one he now exited after the commander; others were more streamlined and looked to be versatile while airborne, marking them as fighters; some were bulkier but had many similar designs and motifs as the fighters, most likely bombers. The hangar seemed to have a population like that of a small town, all soldiers in either flight uniforms or full-on armored from head-to-toe much like the imposter that stood with them.

"_Interesting…I have heard of dimensions with interspatial travel….I guess they are not simply whispered rumors…Strange._" He mused to himself, an unseen grin slapped on face. "_If only Iblis could see this…_"

It was an impressive sight to be sure, but he had no time to sightsee as he opted on following this Commander Shepard. If it was a title like that they use in the militaristic Avatar nation of the Grey Union, then he was someone in charge…and would be useful in one form or another.

"ATTENTION: WE WILL BE DEPARTING FOR ARCTURUS STATION IN T-MINUS 10 MINUTES…ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IS FOURTEEN-HUNDRED HOUR." A large intercom blared on above for all to hear as the infiltrator slipped through the throng of soldiers.

As he trailed the commander, the false soldier took in his surroundings…doors that opened when one approached, mechanical humanoids (he had heard about some worlds with similar technological advances with robots, but had never seen one…), the two even passed by a dojo-esque area where humans were defying the laws of physics by throwing wisps of blue energy at objects, sending them hurtling away at breakneck speeds or floating about in the air like clouds.

"_Telekinesis of some sort? They don't seem to be Psykers either…_" He pondered, before reading the sign in front of the door. "_Biotics Training Field…merits some investigation later perhaps…_"

"ATTENTION: MAKING RELAY JUMP IN T-MINUS 2 MINUTES, PREPARE FOR JUMP TURBULENCE." Many of the crowd paid no heed to the warning that blared overhead, carrying on whatever business they had.

The infiltrator merely wondered what the meaning behind the announcement was before another sudden lurch caught him unsuspectingly. A mild heave like that of a misplaced step, but it nearly toppled him nonetheless. A silent curse was muttered as he righted himself, disparaging his countless hours of training when a foreign hand reached for him, an offer of help. The saboteur once again found himself before Commander Shepard, and yet again the elder of the two was looking out for him.

John Shepard had always been a helpful man, always ready to aid anyone in need…even now as he helped the somewhat rickety private he had just met back to his feet. "Private, do I have to keep looking after you?" He said with light mockery, receiving a masked grunt in gratitude. Poor fellow, Shepard chuckled at the greenhorn, remembering when he had been a rookie much like the man before him.

"Thank you, sir." Russells somewhat mumbled, most likely embarrassed over stumbling about like a drunken civilian when the ship jumped the Relay…a common mistake to make among men who had never done it before.

"So Private, is there any particular reason you're following me?" The commander asked, resuming his walk with his latest companion in tow.

The false private was thrown off by the question for but a second, when an idea struck him. "Well sir…it is rather embarrassing…but…I…*ahem* I would like your autograph…" His ploy was inspired by the mumblings of the man whose identity he had assumed, remembering that his frantic posturing was towards Shepard himself. "I actually forgot to ask for it aboard the shuttle…" He added on, producing a notepad and pen from one of the armor's pouches.

Shepard looked to be caught off-guard for a moment, "Uh…sure. Not really used to doing this." He took the offering and made his mark, which was taken back with faked enthusiasm. "Take care of yourself, Russells."

"Thank you, sir." A swift salute was given and a nod with a nod in return, the two men parted ways. Yet only one knew where he was actually headed.

"_Shouldn't risk following him around now that I threw out the trunk card…_" 'Private Russells' thought as he wandered somewhat aimlessly before stumbling upon something useful. It was a holo-projection of the USS _Montreal_'s layout, and he saw something that piqued his interest. A lone word stood out from the rest, the armory in the aft section of the cruiser. The thought of what kind of weapons the natives of this world might have in regards to their astounding feats of technology was more than enough to sway the mole in that direction. "_But…just in case…_" A small thought tugged at his mind, and he disappeared into a nearby restroom.

Finding privacy in a small stall, he pulled out a small crystal from one of his pouches. It was beautifully crafted, its mirrored surface reflecting all that surrounded it save for the parts were tattooed with black runes and etchings which held an ominous glow of their own. A whisper escaped the stall's sole occupant, an alien chant that held no place in this world. As if reacting to this incantation, the user's chest seemed to glow with an ebon-esque light before cascading down his arm into the handheld runestone he bore, enveloping it in a twilight aura. The runestone now became aglow in black light, only to dissipate when the chanter flexed his hand and crushed the runestone to dust, a cloud of onyx powder drifting around its former place of rest. Another hushed invocation sent the sparkling mist before him into a miniature vortex, reassembling itself into something entirely different.

A long, metallic bar came before him, seemingly inconspicuous to a normal perception, but the caster knew differently as he took it into his hands. One hand at its lower section and another at its top as he pulled it ever so slightly, causing the bar to split to reveal the beginnings of a delicate blade. With an instantaneous sweep, he unsheathed the hidden blade fully, looking it over to make sure of its lethality. The entirety of the weapon was little under two feet in length, with much of it adorned in similar black runes as was found on the stone that birthed it. The tantō slid back into its sheath after its inspection, its owner's curiosity satisfied. As he stood, he looked to hide the blade somewhere on the bulky armor, finding no advantageous position until he tapped the sheath unknowingly on his lower back. A magnetic pull slapped it onto his waist, holding it until he had need of the sword. "_Will wonders ever cease?_"

Another rune was revealed not a second later, but froze in the air in hesitation. "_On second thought, there's no call for that in these corridors…save it for when I truly need it._" The rune disappeared back into whatever crevice his armor had hid away.

He silently marveled at the size of the ship as he walked through its great hallways, it reminded him of the home he had left behind those years ago…albeit with far less visible machinery. A brisk pace was set as he strode in powerful steps, wondering what feats of advancement their weapons held in store for him.

It took him some time to work his way through the fortress-sized ship to finally locate the armory, another of the automatic doors compacted itself and slid away to reveal a large room filled to the brim with weaponry of varying calibers. A single soldier guarded the storage, a differing uniform than the infiltrator's signaled that he was of a higher rank than the measly private.

A swift salute was dismissed by the commanding officer of the storage chamber, "At ease, private…what can I do you for?" He wasn't really listening, instead pretending to be entranced by the plethora of weaponry before him…when in reality, he was scanning for anything that might be a camera of sorts. Two small orbs in differing corners of the room where revealed as he inconspicuously searched, and he turned to face the guardsman whilst preparing to eliminate the threat.

"I've been dispatched to pick up the order for Commander Shepard." He lied through his teeth, watching his unnoticed handiwork progress stealthily up the walls towards the cameras.

"Order? Hang on lemme check…" The officer grunted, bringing up a screen from thin air above the small desk to his left. As soon as he turned his back, the infiltrator's shadowy tendrils pierced and destroyed both orbs with a single strike, and the main body moved to strike with sword unsheathed. The caretaker didn't even have enough time to retaliate in any form as the hilt from the blade struck him square behind the ear, knocking him flat to the ground. Another blow left him unconscious, leaving the attacker free to do as he pleased with the small arsenal before him. He had split his shadow and sent them towards the cameras, avoiding areas where the light hit as he chatted to the man, distracting him from the wall-hugging tentacles.

The agent was having a picnic within the armory, finding mountains of weapons at his disposal. He was also quickly learning how to properly use the device upon his arm (also in the process finding out it was called an omni-tool), using it to scan and teach him about the various weaponry before him. In but a few minutes, he had outfitted himself with several samples of hardware; deciding to go for a section labeled as 'Contraband', it was here he found several caches of something labeled 'Elkoss Combine' brand weapons. Outfitting himself with one of their sniper rifles and a heavy pistol, he decided against grabbing some of the heavier weaponry as it would weight him down too much. He was tickled pink to find that these weapons were collapsible in a way, easy access and storage in the form of the magnetized pads upon the armor. Grabbing several disc-like grenades, he exited the armory to find a suitable hiding place to hang out until he could find a way back to Earth.

Browsing several tutorials on how to use his newfound prizes, the false Russells meandered throughout the ship, intent on never staying in one place for too long. He didn't even know how long he wandered before the loudspeaker came on once again.

"ATTENTION: WE WILL BE DOCKING IN ARCTURUS IN T-MINUS TEN MINUTES, PREPARE FOR DOCKING."

Chuckling lightly to himself, the infiltrator made for the growing crowd of soldiers that were exiting the shuttle en masse. Before he could slip away however, the sound of three rifles unlocking behind him sounded. He could see them on the edge of his peripherals, three soldiers stood their ground, assault rifles at the ready…and there was another at in their midst. He knew that he had been found out now…and that left only one option.

"Hold it." The voice of Commander Shepard pierced the hall. "I don't who you are, but we just received a call from Earth that the real Theron Russells is nursing a mother of a headache…"

"Oh? Too bad for him…maybe if he wasn't such a pushover he would have been able to come here himself." The spy's retort triggered something within Shepard, as he glowed blue like the people within that dojo, signaling him as a biotic.

"You'll be coming with us for questioning…don't resist and you won't be hurt."

"Oh? That sounded like a threat…I don't take too kindly to those…" One could hear the sneer in his voice his body suddenly became black as night. The marines instinctively began open firing, but their bullets seemed to pass right through the apparition before them.

Shepard wasn't so easily fooled when the ebon phantom replaced the false Russells, a black stream of similar make seemed to slither along the ground towards them, their attention elsewhere. He could only shout a warning and move out of the way as the infiltrator burst out of the shadowy limb, sword in hand.

The fight was over before it began, he slashed the middle soldier, cleaving through gun and armor alike, the blade glowing obsidian whilst leaving the trail of the swipe as it flew through the air. He used this momentum to deliver a spinning kick to the neck of the right soldier, sending him to the ground. The remaining soldier brought his rifle to bear but too late as the shadow that they had fired upon pierced his shoulder with spear-limbs of shadow as it rushed him. Delivering another painful blow to the down soldier, the infiltrator was denied any further action when Shepard sent a bullet of energy at him, throwing him away from his prey with excruciating force. In the throw, Shepard's enemy now had lost his helmet, and that left him open to a clean shot at his exposed cranium now…but something threw off the commander's focus.

He wasn't human…or turian…or asari…or…anything Shepard could describe. His skin was a caramel brown, black hair slicked back and tied into a neat, thin ponytail…but that wasn't the important features. His ears were large, shaped like daggers in their pointed feature, near double the size of a normal human ear. The closest word to describe what he was seeing…even though it was an impossibility, but that was no longer a factor with the strange biotics that bordered on sorcery this creature possessed…could only be described…as an elf.

"What are you?" He grunted, still focused on the anomaly before him as it stood back up. He could see the creature sweat a little profusely now, seemingly fatigued somewhat but still it held a grin of confidence on its alien face.

"You should be worrying about what **that** is…" The imposter inclined to Shepard's feet, a feint beeping noise signaling its presence. An armed grenade lay at the front of the downed guards, and its bleeping increased in pace, it must've been laid by the shadow creature the alien had swapped places with. Shepard made his decision, throwing a biotic barrier around the small squad as the countdown finished and allowing his prey to vanish into a nearby hallway as the device detonated before him.

A brilliant white flash and a piercing ringing resounded in his ears…and he knew he had been tricked. A flashbang grenade had been left instead of one of its deadlier kin, although if by mistake or if the intruder had not wished them dead, he could not say. Head still flaring from both the blinding nova and the shrieking noise echoing in his eardrums, the commander managed to open his communicator to hail the bridge.

"Bridge, this is Commander Shepard, I need a full lockdown, suspect is armed and dangerous, heading for Deck 3. Send a medic to Deck 2, we have wounded." Not even waiting for a response, Shepard heaved himself up along with one of the marine's assault rifles and even though still somewhat weakened, he made to give chase to the alien.

Said outsider was busy making good on his escape, as he knew that soon the entire ship would be locked down, as was the case in any military station in this situation. He had recovered his helmet and fastened back on much to his own chagrin as his ears were once again crammed for space. It was then alarms began sounding throughout the ship, signaling the lockdown procedure and his window of escape closing rapidly when he entered the hangar where the shuttle had first docked. A massive airlock was now shutting, sealing off the entrance to Arcturus. The bay was littered with several squadrons of armored soldiers who now looked warily about for any sign of intrusion.

Taking a breath, the infiltrator summoned forth his last reserves of inner strength and dissolved once again into naught but a shadow, creeping from soldier to soldier with a rushed yet cautionary pace.

Shepard bounded around a corner, gun in tow as he made his way into the hangar. He instantly began scanning all throughout the room for the intruder, but he did all too late. As the great doors to the bay shut, he saw through the slimming cracks the familiar ebon ooze turn humanoid as before, the elf giving an arrogant smirk his way before beginning his attack on the few guards outside the ship.

It was an easy task for one of the Cabal's finest to dispatch rookie guards like those outside the _Montreal_'s doors…but the process of using his abilities in the void of space drained his energy exponentially somehow. He was panting, a bead of sweat working down his brow as he made his way through Arcturus' halls, finally finding a temporary sanctuary within what looked like a good-sized maintenance room.

"_What is this…I shouldn't be this tired..._" The spy questioned himself mentally as he kept to the darkest corners and most solitary sections to avoid detection. "_My powers are draining far too much of my energy…I must return to Earth somehow...but first…A ship to get myself out of here…_" He began to move, but noticed his growing exhaustion even more so when he hefted himself up. "_Actually first order of business is to get rid of this scrap…how do these ma'taan fight properly in these gaudy trash cans?_" The scraps and pieces of the Alliance-branded armor fell discarded to the floor as he wriggled himself out, revealing a form-fitted suit of thickened black material. Several armored pieces were found throughout his wear, covering his chest and shoulders, with boot-like armored portions that extended up his calf. Two small 'wings' of armor where found by his shoulder blades, and of course a belted codpiece to protect his most vital area. Finally a sleek helm snapped into place to mask his head, a visor with an extended portion to resemble a raven's beak somewhat, in homage to his deity. The only thing he kept from Russell's armor was the magnetic pieces he used to secure his weapons as well as a piece of the gauntlet that contained the strange shields that had protected him somewhat from Shepard's biotics and of course, the Omni-tool. This ate away his time, as when he had finally chucked the last of Russell's armor down a garbage chute, two guards made their way into the chambers which the infiltrator had been using.

"_**Vishen**_…" He mumbled a foreign curse as the two armored peons didn't even bother to yell the clichéd 'Halt' or 'Freeze' that he had so been accustomed to. Rolling behind a small counter, the barrage of rounds drilled into his cover, eating it away bit by bit.

The infiltrator summoned his shadow once again to deal with these pests…but it came distorted and seemingly ill-formed. Breath became hitched and ragged maintaining this once-simple trick, and with another curse in his native tongue he reached into a small pack on his person. Unsheathing a small needle with an unknown green liquid, and without hesitation, uncapped and jammed it into a now-uncovered portion of his neck. The effect was near instantaneous, and his breath became normal as energy flowed into him, a temporary stimulant that will wear off soon…a last resort and this was the time for such things.

The two guards stood no chance as a renewed shadow caster vaulted over the counter with demonic speed, the obsidian wraith next him lunging ahead with lances of darkness in place of arms.

Those guards were not the last to meet such a fate, as several more guards who dared to stand before the elusive sorcerer met with incapacitation. They laid on the floor with labored breath and debilitating but non-lethal wounds to keep them out of his way.

It seemed like hours of that infernal alarm and running through corridor after corridor and taking down flunky guard after flunky guard before he finally came across a ship. He no longer cared what it was so long as he could possibly escape in it.

"The _SSV Normandy_…" He mumbled to himself as he read its broadside, enveloping himself once again in an obsidian sheen. "My ticket out of here…"

**End of Chapter**


End file.
